The ladybird stood at the entrance to Sofia's corridor and waited.

A few moments later, the door did open. The witch looked through it.

"Arnold! What are you doing here?" she asked. Then she looked to the left, where Sofia lay.

"Oh, poor child. Did you just wake up? We just had lunch, but because you're not officially a gnome yet you can't sit with the rest. Eba and I had agreed to bring you something, but... unfortunately, we forgot you," she said.

Behind the witch, Eba appeared. "But I brought you some cheese! she called out enthusiastically.

Sofia frowned. "Do you eat cheese here?" she asked.

Eba looked at her indignantly and planted her hands at her sides. "You're not that much more superior just because you're a human, human," she said.

Someone cleared his throat from the back of the room. "Could I have some too, maybe?" asked the ladybird, whose name apparently was Arnold.

The witch stood in front of him angrily. "Don't be so selfish, and then look at that poor child, she looks starved, doesn't she?" she asked him.

Arnold turned his head, but it was hard to tell who he was looking at, because his eyes were white. "To be honest, I don't think she looks famished, I think she was fed very well at home. I'd be happy to eat a bit with you," he said, moving a little closer to Sofia.

"You can have some of my food," Sofia said, making Arnold happy.

Half an hour later Sofia was sitting at a table with the witch, who did not want to say her name, and Eba. Arnold was still sitting in a corner eating his piece of cheese, taking an incredibly long time.

"So, girl, I think there's quite a bit we need to explain to you..." the witch began. "So you've ended up in our gnome world. You can still go back to human form if you want, but it's a lot more painful than what you felt before, and besides, this world is a lot better if you ask me."

"Also if you ask me, mind you," Eba said.

The witch frowned. "As far as I know you don't have a clue what the human world is like have you ever been there?" she asked.

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Eba shrugged her shoulders. "No," she said. "I just think we're better," she chuckled.

"What's better here, then?" asked Sofia.

"First of all," the witch began as she raised her shrivelled index finger. "None of the gnomes does boring work, so that's one thing already," she raised her thumb, which had also been around for ages. "Secondly, once you become a gnome you will most likely live for an incredibly long time. Gnomes don't die from diseases, drowning, falling from heights, and so on."

"What do you mean most likely?" asked Sofia. "Then what do you die of?"

"It's not you," corrected the witch. "I am not a gnome. But she" - she pointed to Eba - "can only die in a fight. Trolls are a danger, but so are some insects and people who get scared of us," she said.

"Trolls?" asked Sofia in surprise.

Eba laughed. "Yes, but the chances of encountering one of those are very small."

The witch cleared her throat. "Good. I think you'll learn how to be a gnome in the near future, because you'll be joining a class with all the other people who have just, or at least quite recently, gone through their diminutive process and are now in the process of becoming members of our group. There you will learn everything you need to not be too different from the rest, and have input into our society, so I don't think we need to tell you too much about that. There is one other thing, though, and that is your father," she said.

Without anyone noticing, two curious ears opened in the corner of the room.

"Did your mother tell you anything about him?" asked Eba.

"No, never. I don't even know his name. I actually assumed that she just hadn't processed whatever had happened yet," Sofia replied.

"Eba wasn't born yet when this story started," said the witch. "So I will tell it." She became silent for a moment. "Your father entered his colony in almost the same way you did, so I'll spare you that bit. He went to school, graduated, and became a gnome. All gnomes have a mentor, regardless of their age. Mentors are usually witches, like me, so I expect to become your mentor too," she glanced at Sofia, hoping she would nod in approval, but she gestured to continue. The witch continued in a monotonous tone. "His mentor saw in him a lot of ambition at a young age, but she had no idea to what he would go to achieve it. Long story short: he tortures her to this day, because because she is a witch he can use her for his weird plans. And so he exploits her magic and that of a strong group of other witches to stay in power." She was silent again for a moment. "One thing: if I become your mentor then you're not going to torture me, okay?"

"That was quite a story," it suddenly sounded from the corner. Everyone had forgotten about Arnold.

"Arnold!" cried Eba, standing up stressed. "You weren't supposed to hear all that."

"But I did hear it," said Arnold, chuckling. "So what now? Are you going to kill me now so I can't tell that girl is the daughter of some supervillain?"

The witch threw her hands up menacingly. "I have the perfect spell to kill ladybirds," she said darkly.

Arnold cowered fearfully behind Eba's legs. "Please don't, ma'am, it was a joke," he said. "I won't tell anything."

Eba sighed. "In that case, there are four of us who know about your father, Sofia. Don't worry, we'll help you kill him."

Sofia almost fell off her chair. "WHAT?!"